The Environment Agency is warning that vandalism at locks, sluices and other water control points is no longer a minor summer nuisance. With drought now declared in Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire, damaged infrastructure is making it harder to hold water where it is needed, keep waterways usable and protect habitats already stressed by low flows. The episode shows how drought pressure is shaped not only by rainfall and reservoir levels, but by the condition of everyday public assets. When water control structures are tampered with, the consequences travel quickly from damaged metalwork to falling river levels, disrupted navigation and avoidable harm to wildlife.

According to the Environment Agency, tampering can lower water levels, drain stretches above locks and unsettle habitats used by fish, birds and aquatic plants. In dry weather, those losses are harder to recover from. Water that disappears in minutes can take much longer to replace when regulators are already balancing ecological needs, boating access and licensed abstraction. The safety risks are just as serious. Locks, weirs, sluices and gate mechanisms can create hidden hazards, strong currents and sudden changes in depth. What may look like an easy place to climb, jump or explore can become dangerous very fast, especially when cold water shock is part of the picture.

Ashton Lock, near Oundle, has become one of the clearest examples of the problem. Vandals damaged the lock's winding wheel, forcing the Environment Agency to remove it for repair. A temporary replacement was then fitted and later stolen. The lock's guillotine gate, which controls water flow, was also tampered with, draining water needed for wildlife and navigation. That matters beyond one lock. These structures are part of the river's operating system, quietly managing depth and flow across a wider stretch of water. When one point is interfered with, the effect can spread upstream and downstream, altering conditions for habitats, boat users and nearby communities.

In a separate incident at Ashton Lock, people removed a life buoy and rope from a safety station, used the rope to tie the lock doors open and then wound up the guillotine gate, draining water upstream. The Environment Agency says this has happened repeatedly and has been reported to police. The detail is especially troubling because safety equipment designed to save lives was instead used in a way that increased risk for everyone else. The agency has also reported people trying to break into control panel boxes, climbing on guillotine gates and jumping into locks where the infrastructure itself can hide serious hazards.

On the River Nene, one recurring problem is people manually winding up lock paddles, which releases water from the stretch above. The Environment Agency says the section between Upper and Lower Barnwell locks has been worst affected. That reach includes Oundle Marina, where some residents live aboard their boats, so sudden drops in water level can become more than an inconvenience. Other affected locations named by the agency include Northampton Town Lock, Whiston Lock, Billing Lock, Upper and Lower Wellingborough Locks, Irthlingborough Lock, Denford Lock, Nine Arches Mooring, Lower Barnwell Lock, Elton Lock and Alwalton Lock. Reports have also included people climbing on, or trying to break into, weed-cutting boats left on the riverbank during maintenance.

Ben Thornely, Area Manager at the Environment Agency, said staff were 'disgusted' by the level of vandalism and warned that it puts lives in danger while worsening drought impacts for wildlife and navigation. In response, the agency is stepping up protection, including volunteer presence at Great Ouse sites, CCTV at some locations and additional safety inspections. The response is practical, and it points to a bigger lesson for drought resilience. Adapting to a hotter, drier climate is not only about new projects or future investment. It also depends on protecting the infrastructure already doing the daily work of managing water across rivers and catchments.

The public safety message is straightforward. People are being urged not to jump or dive into inland waters, not to enter the water near weirs, locks, pipes or sluices, and not to assume a warm day means safe conditions. Inland waters can remain dangerously cold, and cold water shock can trigger cramp and breathing difficulty within moments. The wider advice mirrors the Respect the Water campaign, which warns that strong currents, hidden obstructions and poor visibility can turn a hot afternoon into an emergency. Boat traffic adds another risk, particularly where larger vessels may struggle to spot swimmers in time.

The wider drought response in Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire is already under way. The Environment Agency says its Trent Witham Ancholme scheme can pump the equivalent of 60 Olympic-sized swimming pools of water a day when required, helping support more than 100 abstraction licences relied on by water companies, farmers, industrial users and other licensed abstractors. The agency is also working with farmers, growers and water companies to encourage more sustainable water use, including temporary limits on abstraction and support for water transfers between abstractors. Water companies remain responsible for decisions on hosepipe bans, but one part of the response is clear now: protecting rivers during drought starts with respecting the structures that keep water moving safely. Witnesses to vandalism or antisocial behaviour are being asked to report it to police and to the Environment Agency on 0800 807060.